By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica.com

(March 17, 2022) Hyundai first joined the electric car offering since 2019 sharing everything we love about the non-electric funky, practicable subcompact SUV we first tested back when introduced for the 2018 model year. Based on the standard gasoline version the electric Kona is instead powered by a 201-horsepower electric motor delivered via the 64-kWh lithium-ion battery pack with liquid cooling with an EPA-rated driving range of 258 miles.

The Kona EV delivers excellent acceleration, athletic handling and a superb 5-year 60,000-mile new vehicle warranty, 10-year 100,000-mile powertrain and electric battery warranty along with 7-year unlimited mile anti perforation warranty, 3-year 30,000-mile complimentary maintenance and finally 5-year unlimited roadside assistance. If that isn’t enough of a wow factor, the base prices for the 2022 Kona electric is $3,390 less than the outgoing Kona EV from last year.

Further the Kona Electric is still eligible to claim $7,500 in tax credits. Kona Electric has a starting price of $35,185 for the base SEL trim however our top trim Limited lists at $43,685 including destination and handling charges. These are the only two trim levels offered since the top Ultimate trim being eliminated for 2022.

For 2022 the Kona EV gets a minor facelift over the previous model year with new front and rear bumpers and new wheel designs. There are modest interior tweaks including a new standard 10.3-inch digital gauge display and pedestrian detection has been added to the standard front collision warning and automatic emergency braking system. The biggest styling difference between the Kona Electric and its gas-powered sibling is most obviously the grille or rather lack thereof and favoring the look of a “surgical mask” not unlike the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.

The base SEL trim is quite well equipped and our recommend choice of models. We’d add the $3500 optional convenience package that includes a sunroof, LED interior lights, 8-way power driver seat, heated front seats, wireless Smartphone charging, digital key, power front windows with auto-down/up and the battery warmer system.

We liked the aggressive regenerative braking system that allows for one-pedal driving that’s activated via the steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters and extends the 258 miles driving range. The vehicle can be charged on a standard 119-volt household outlet but you’re going to want to install a 240-volt 7.2-kW level charger home outlet that reduces charging time from a near-empty battery to 9 hours which is still a significant amount of time.



During our week of testing, we used the Electrify America charging station at a local shopping mall that brought recharging levels from 23% to 90% in about 40 minutes at a cost of just over $14 with a 350kW DC fast charger.

The Kona EV’s biggest drawback is perhaps its limited availability since it’s currently only offered for sale in select states.

Also know that the Kona is a subcompact sized vehicle with limited passenger and cargo space. Still, the front seats are roomy with plenty of adjustable leg, hip and head room. The ride is on the stiff side, so you’ll feel pronounced impacts from bumps, uneven pavement and potholes.

We did find the audible lane departure warning system annoying, that while it worked perfectly when it detects the vehicle crossing a lane marker there’s no option to disable the audible alert to only use the steering wheel vibration warning when the system is active.

We didn’t much care for the push-button gear selector located on the center console that require the driver to actually look down at the buttons to know which one the pressed and engaged in the properly desired gear. Further, the unintuitive gear selector could result in the driver failing to select Park when intended allowing the vehicle to roll away.

Overall, the Kona Electric is a solid EV with attractive styling, decent driving comfort and a good range. The gasoline powered Kona is one of our favorite compact SUVs and a “Best of” award winner from numerous media sources. There’s much to like here but the Limited trim seems expensive to us and is priced nearly to the exact dollar of the Ford Mustang Mach-E and more expensive than the Volkswagen all-electric ID.4 both of which are larger and a better bang for the buck.

Vital Stats
Base Price: $43,185
Price as Tested: $43,995
Engine/Transmission: 150kW 201-hp electric motor powered by a 64.0kWh lithium-ion battery system with a single-speed automatic transmission
Driving Range: 258-miles on a full charge
Seating: 4

Crash Test Safety Ratings: The Kona Electric has not been crash tested by either the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as of this writing.

Competes with:
Chevrolet Bolt
Ford Mustang Mach-E
Nissan Leaf Plus
Nissan Ariya
Volkswagen ID4

Fab Features:
Lengthy electric range
Long list of standard safety features
Swift acceleration